Thursday, April 4, 2013

Handmade Kids Clothing Swap

Each of us participating designed and sewed an outfit for another person's child, based on their pinterest board/s. Make sense? We all gave the details of our kids measurements etc. and a link to our pinterest board for inspiration, and didn't know who was sewing for us until our package arrived in the mail.

I was really excited when my package arrived and it was from my friend Kristin of Skirtastop, because I knew whatever she'd made would be amazing. But when I opened my box I was floored!

She made an entire outfit for both of my kids and a bag for me. Each of them impeccably sewn, and so thoughtfully designed. Just my style but with special touches I wouldn't have thought to do. And totally above and beyond-- but if you are familiar with Kristin, not surprising at all. As I inspected each item, I nearly cried. And I don't cry about a lot of things.

But as someone who sews, I know how much time, thought, and love went into each little seam. And it's so special to me to receive something that was crafted by Kristin's own hands.

Kristin sent me this little note, so I'll let her explain the outfits:

I was so excited to draw your name for this project, Danielle!
You're one of my very first bloggy pals and your encouragement was one
of the main reasons I started my blog in the first place, so I feel like I owe you a lot!This swap theme was "Inspired by Pinterest," and I sort of stuck with that. I scanned your kid style board for
inspiration, but didn't pick any pins in particular - I looked at the
"vibe" in general. Frankly, I had an idea what I wanted to make for
Avery right away - you had said nothing too tight in the bodice and that
she loves purple. I know YOU love peter pan collars, and I knew I had
pinned a couple dresses that I thought would fit the bill nicely - this one and this one. So I made a roller skate dress in size 8, with a self-drafted sparkly peter pan collar. The purple is Violet Cotton Couture, and the collar is a glittery knit. It's lined with a stripey vintage sheet. I had to make something for Ollie too, mainly because I thought
Avery's dress was more of a standalone piece, not easily turned into an
"outfit," and I had a little extra time (hehe). The boy looks you
pinned have a lot of earth tones and a vintage style, with a little
surprise added to them. I made a short sleeved flashback skinny tee
(in 3T) from a really soft old Anthro shirt of mine, and stamped
brown/gold triangles on the hip that wrap around to the back of the
shirt. I also made him some sailboat shorts in (also in 3T) in Essex Yarn Dyed Black Linen with mint buttons. It was so fun to sew for your kids, though it's really hard to get
the fit right when you can't try it on them halfway through - I met your
kids in person last summer, but had no idea how much they'd grown
since! Hopefully they enjoy and get some good use out of them! :)

For Avery:

Avery squealed when she saw this dress. "It's purple!"

And how perfect is that sparkly collar?

Avery is a little tricky to sew for. Kristin picked the perfect silhouette and style. It's so comfortable and will fit for a long time.

I am in love with the button detail! I would never have thought to do it that way. It's perfect!

And that lining is so soft and darling! Such a fun surprise.

For Ollie:

I love his whole outfit! I mean, how darling...

Those hand-stamped triangles on the softest t-shirt...

Those perfectly sewn shorts!

Such cute buttons. Not one out of place.

For me:

Don't you just love this fabric? I've been meaning to make myself something like this but I am just not that productive. I love this bag. It's just so stinking darling! Above and beyond girl!

Kristin, I really can't thank you enough!

You are amazing. I will treasure each of these things forever.

And if you're curious about what I made, head on over to Robin's blog to see what I sewed for her little girl:

And be sure and check out all of the other swaps happening too! Here's the full list of everyone who participated:

Amazing as usual, Kristin! Two outfits plus a bag? Can't decide if I'm surprised or not. ;) I love everything... but that outfit for Ollie with the hand-stamped triangles is so awesomely cool. Thanks again for joining in!

LOL Cherie...well when the deadline got pushed back a bit, what else was I supposed to do? Hahaha.

Anyway, thanks everyone and than YOU Danielle for the sweet words!! This was such a thrill for me (though a bit nervewracking since I've never sewn a size 8 before!). Its an even bigger thrill seeing your beautiful children and beautiful photos showing my clothes! It's a little surprising, actually! I'm not used to seeing someone else's photos of what I make. ANYWAY!!!

I LOVE THE OUTFIT YOU MADE FOR ROBIN!!!! It's so flippin' perfect. You should sew more. ;)

Such great outfits! Love the peter pan collar on the RollerSkate dress - adds another level of interest that makes the dress extra special. And what little girl doesn't love a little sparkle?! And those shorts . . . I kind've think I want some for myself:) Love them.

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